abductively.

By selecting the explanation that best accounts for the known facts.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• reason abductively
• infer abductively

On the page

The detective reasoned abductively from the missing keys and the undamaged lock.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Invariable adverb. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: evidence, evaluation, inference. Commonness: uncommon.